My Mr Men Complete Library - New Hardcover Set!

Mr Men and Little Miss History

Roger Hargreaves is the author of the Mr Men and Little Miss children's book series. The Mr Men series began in 1971, and now consists of 46 books published in English. The Little Miss series began in 1981, and is comprised of 33 books published in English. After Hargreaves' death in 1988, his son, Adam Hargreaves, began writing and illustrating new stories involving the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters, including the creation of ten new characters, four of which were inspired by work Roger Hargreaves had produced before his death.

Mr. Tickle was the first Mr. Men character created by Hargreaves after his son, Adam, asked him what a tickle looked like: a round, orange figure with long, bendy arms. Each book in the original Mr. Men and Little Miss series introduced a different title character and their single dominant trait in order to convey a double simple moral lesson. The Mr. Men and Little Miss characters would frequently reappear in the later books of other characters. The books' simple and silly stories, with bright-coloured, boldly drawn illustrations, made them quite popular, with sales over 100 million worldwide in 22 languages.

Roger Hargreaves History

Charles Roger Hargreaves (9 May 1935 – 11 September 1988) was an English author and illustrator of children's books, notably the Mr. Men and Little Miss series, intended for very young readers. The books' simple and silly stories, with bright-coloured, boldly drawn illustrations, have been part of popular culture for over 25 years, with sales over 100 million worldwide in 15 languages

Hargreaves was born in a private hospital at 201 Bath Road, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, England, to Alfred Reginald and Ethel Mary Hargreaves, and grew up in High Lees, 703 Halifax Road, also in Cleckheaton, outside of which there now is a commemorative plaque. He spent a year working in his father's laundry and dry-cleaning business before starting out in advertising. But his original ambition was to be a cartoonist; and, in 1971, while he was working as the creative director at a London firm, he wrote the first Mr. Men book, Mr. Tickle. He initially had difficulty finding a publisher; but, once he did, the books became an instant success, selling over one million copies within three years. In 1975 it spawned a BBC animated television series, narrated and voiced by Arthur Lowe.

By 1976, Hargreaves had quit his day job. In 1981, the Little Miss series of books began to appear. It, too, was made into a television series in 1983, which was narrated by John Alderton, who, with Pauline Collins, voiced the Men and Misses, respectively. Although Hargreaves wrote many other children's stories, including the Timbuctoo series of twenty-five books, John Mouse, and the Roundy and Squary books, he is best known for his 46 Mr. Men books and 33 Little Miss books.

With his wife, Christine, Hargreaves had four children: Adam, Giles, and twins Sophie and Amelia. The first of the Mr. Men characters is reported to have been created when Adam asked his father what a tickle looked like: Hargreaves drew a figure with a round orange body and long, rubbery arms, which became Mr. Tickle.

After Hargreaves died of a sudden stroke in 1988, Adam continued writing and drawing the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters in new stories. However, in April 2004, Christine sold the rights to the Mr. Men characters to the UK entertainment group Chorion, for £28 million.

List of books in this set

Mr Tickle

Mr Greedy

Mr Happy

Mr Nosey

Mr Sneeze

Mr Bump

Mr Snow

Mr Messy

Mr Topsy-Turvy

Mr Silly

Mr Uppity

Mr Small

Mr Daydream

Mr Forgetful

Mr Jelly

Mr Noisy

Mr Lazy

Mr Funny

Mr Mean

Mr Chatterbox

Mr Fussy

Mr Bounce

Mr Muddle

Mr Dizzy

Mr Impossible

Mr Strong

Mr Grumpy

Mr Clumsy

Mr Quiet

Mr Rush

Mr Tall

Mr Worry

Mr Nonsense

Mr Wrong

Mr Skinny

Mr Mischief

Mr Clever

Mr Busy

Mr Slow

Mr Brave

Mr Grumble

Mr Perfect

Mr Cheerful

Mr Cool

Mr Rude

Mr Good

Mr Nobody

My Mr Men Complete Library - New Hardcover Set!

Roger Hargreaves is the author of the Mr Men and Little Miss children's book series. The Mr Men series began in 1971, and now consists of 47 books published in English. The Little Miss series began in 1981, and is comprised of 33 books published in English. After Hargreaves' death in 1988, his son, Adam Hargreaves, began writing and illustrating new stories involving the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters, including the creation of ten new characters, four of which were inspired by work Roger Hargreaves had produced before his death.